Every ICE arrest team will now have an agent with a body camera, DHS says
Following two fatal shootings, the Department of Homeland Security has mandated that every ICE arrest team will carry at least one body-worn camera. The agency defended the delay in implementation by pointing to funding issues during government shutdowns and criticized political opposition.
Why it matters
This move represents a shift in federal law enforcement policy aimed at increasing accountability during high-stakes immigration enforcement operations.
Every U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest team will have at least one law enforcement officer equipped with a body-worn camera going forward, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday, after two fatal shootings by agents who didn't have cameras.
"Ensuring all of our ICE law enforcement officers have body cameras nationwide is a top priority for DHS," the department said in a statement, pointing to an increase in assaults against immigration agents. "This is especially needed because the media and sanctuary politicians consistently spread smears about our law enforcement."
The move comes after a Mexican man was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston last week, and six days later, an agent shot and killed a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine. In both cases, the immigration personnel involved in the shootings were not wearing body cameras.
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